VoiceXML Forum Launches VoiceXML 2.1 Platform Certification Program

PISCATAWAY, N.J., Jun. 19, 2007 — Today, the VoiceXML Forum, a global industry organization chartered to promote and to accelerate the adoption of VoiceXML-based applications, announced major enhancements to its Platform Certification Program. A pilot program, open to VoiceXML Forum members who have previously certified their platforms, will begin in June and will include certification testing for VoiceXML 2.1, SISR 1.0 and key features of other languages in the W3C Speech Interface Framework. The announcement was made in support of today’s announcement by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that VoiceXML 2.1 and SISR 1.0 have been published as Web standards. For more information about the VoiceXML Forum’s Platform Certification Program, visit www.voicexml.org/certification/platform.html.

“Platform certification has helped to stabilize and mature the industry by encouraging the cross-vendor interoperability of platforms, tools and applications,” said Ken Rehor, Chair of the VoiceXML Forum Conformance Committee. “The industry as a whole has embraced VoiceXML, and we applaud the W3C’s work to publish the VoiceXML 2.1 Web standard. I encourage all platform vendors to submit their platforms for VoiceXML 2.1 certification.”

Test Suite Currently Under Development

An expanded platform certification test suite is currently under development. VoiceXML Forum members are encouraged to join the organization’s Conformance Committee to help define and develop the test suite and to participate in the platform certification pilot program. Interested companies should contact the VoiceXML Forum’s Program Manager at +1 732 465 6464.

The new test suite will be based on the W3C Implementation Report and will include conformance testing for VoiceXML 2.0, VoiceXML 2.1, SISR 1.0, SRGS 1.0 and SSML 1.0. Certification testing for additional languages in the W3C Speech Interface Framework is expected in the future.

Platform Certification: Key Customer Criterion

The VoiceXML Forum’s Platform Certification Program has been extremely successful since its initial launch in 2004. To date, 22 VoiceXML platforms, including offerings from nearly all of the leading vendors, have been certified. Increasingly, platform certification has become a requirement for technology decision makers in organizations developing speech systems.

About the VoiceXML Forum

Founded in 1999, the VoiceXML Forum is an industry organization whose mission is to promote and to accelerate the worldwide adoption of VoiceXML-based applications. To this end, the Forum serves as an educational and technical resource, a certification authority and a contributor and liaison to international standards bodies, such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) IETF, ANSI and ISO. The VoiceXML Forum is organized as a program of the IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (IEEE-ISTO). Membership in the Forum is open to any interested company. For more information, please visit the Website at www.voicexml.org.